Another Tale of Ba Sing Se
by Casa Circe
Summary: ZUTARA WEEK 2010 Day Four: Date. Four tourists in Ba Sing Se decide to make the most of a free day, with some unexpected consequences. Hope you enjoy this.


**ZUTARA WEEK 2010: Day 4: DATE**

**Another Tale of Ba Sing Se**

**Disclaimer: **_**Avatar: the Last Airbender **_**belongs to Bryke, but Zutara week belongs to all Zutarians.**

_**NOTE: Though the prompt was changed to "Date", I thought I'd go with the original, "Double Date", because it's more fun and less generic. Most of my entries are heavy and serious so I wanted to keep this one light-hearted, but not completely ridiculous though.**_

_**Ok, so it is a little silly. And as a result of my stress (from a busy schedule), I've inserted a not-so-subtle and ironic pop culture reference. When you see it, you will facepalm. Don't hate me.**_

_**And, as always, bits of inspiration from my favorite nineteenth century novel found their way into this little thing.**_

_**Set somewhere during "Tales of Ba Sing Se" as evidenced by the title. You'll see how it plays out. It ended up a lot longer than I expected. I really suck at being concise.**_

_**Hope you like it. **___

Toph and Katara decided to wrap up their girls' day out by having a lavish dinner at Ba Sing Se's most exclusive and popular restaurants, the Golden Arches.

To prepare for the evening, they fixed themselves up the same way they did when they went to seek an audience with the Earth King. Donning their elegant Earth Kingdom gowns, sporting exquisitely styled hairdos, and other necessary accessories, they proceeded to the venue. A crowd of well-dressed Ba Sing Se elites had already gathered outside the restaurant and each guest was being carefully ushered inside.

"But I thought you hated all these formal niceties and snooty parties," Katara commented to her companion, who never ceased to amaze her.

"I do," Toph replied, "but I figured that while we're here, we might as well live it up. Being from a noble family has most of its perks in places like these anyway. Don't worry, this is my treat."

"Thanks," Katara said with a smile, "but you don't really have to do this."

"I know," Toph said, "but I have a really good feeling about this. Something tells me this is going to be an interesting night."

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

In another part of the city, two men were on their way to the restaurant as well.

"Aren't we lucky, Lee?" 'Mushi' told his nephew excitedly, "one of our customers liked my service so much that he gave us exclusive invitations to the swankiest place in town."

"Hmmph," the young man beside him scoffed, "I don't see why it's such a big deal. It's just another fancy tea-house."

"You need to lighten up, you know," the uncle scolded, "the Golden Arches is a very exclusive restaurant, where only those from the richest and most influential families in Ba Sing Se are allowed entrance. You should be grateful for our good fortune."

"Have you forgotten that we're from the most powerful families in the Fire Nation?" the nephew replied in exasperation.

"Shh," Iroh reminded him sharply, "why can't you just forget about all that, even for just one night?"

"Yeah, right," Zuko answered sarcastically, "as if I can forget who I am just like that."

Iroh sighed, understanding his nephew's difficulty. But Zuko's stubbornness could get quite tiresome and the old man was really looking forward to a pleasant evening. He only wished his nephew would cooperate.

"I know it isn't easy to accept," he told the other one gently but with the slightest hint of sternness, "but you're going to have to get used to it some time. Please just try to enjoy yourself tonight, we won't get another opportunity like this again."

Seeing how much it meant to his uncle, Zuko nodded reluctantly. He knew that he was being unreasonable and he didn't really mean to take out all his frustration on the one person who had stood by him through everything.

"Don't worry," Iroh reassured him, "destiny has a funny way of giving us our due. And I think that tonight will be full of pleasant surprises."

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

The line seemed to be miles long and it was moving at a very tedious pace. Some of the guests were growing impatient but they could not complain too much or else they would be refused entry.

Those with companions were lucky because they were able to while away the time in lively chatter. All of them were eager to sample the delectable menu and watch the exceptional entertainment provided in that exclusive venue.

"Sokka would have definitely not enjoyed this," Katara commented, "and I'm embarrassed just imagining how he would act in such a place."

"Twinkletoes wouldn't fit in, either," Toph added, "he's much too excitable and flighty. Let's face it, Katara, we're the only truly cultured members of our group."

The two girls had a laugh at this and then the line began to move and they grew hopeful. But as they waited, Toph sensed the arrival of someone familiar.

"I think one of my friends is here somewhere," the earthbender said, "I think I'll just go over and say hello, do you mind going ahead and just getting us a table, Katara?"

"I don't mind," the waterbender said, "just hurry though, it's almost our turn."

But the earthbender had already disappeared into the crowd. The waterbender sighed with a smile. Toph's feet were the best tracking devices in the world and Katara always admired all of the earthbender's unique and useful abilities.

A few minutes later and Katara found herself at the front of the line, facing a stern-looking waiter who reminded her a bit of the lady at the ticket office of the ferry to Ba Sing Se.

"Reservation?" the man asked, without even glancing at her.

"Um," Katara said shyly, "we don't have one, but it looks like there's still a lot of room inside, so I hope you could squeeze us in, please."

"If you don't have a reservation," the man said, still not looking at her, "you're going to have to wait on the side for a table to become vacant."

"But you don't understand," Katara argued, trying to play her cards right, "I'm here with Toph Bei Fong, you know, of the Bei Fong family, with the golden, flying, boar seal."

At this the waiter looked up at her at last he seemed suspicious.

"I don't see anyone with you," he said coldly.

"Oh, that's just because she went to say hello to one of her friends," Katara answered.

She knew how silly it sounded now, even if it was the truth, and by the impatient looks of the people behind her, she wasn't sure she wanted to push the argument too much. And the waiter did not seem to believe her. She was tempted to drop the fact that she was traveling with the Avatar, but she had too much pride.

"Well, if that's the case," the waiter said patronizingly, "I can't let you in until your privileged companion returns."

"I suppose so," Katara said sheepishly. The people behind her were beginning to complain.

"Just go sit over there," the waiter ordered, pointing to a small, dark room inside where several unlucky customers were sitting sadly, "and we'll see what we can do when your friend arrives."

Katara was about to protest at such a condescending statement but she restrained herself.

This man will get his just desserts when Toph gets here, she thought.

So she obediently walked to the "waiting area" which might as well be called the "rejects" section. She tried to pick a good place to sit among the pompously well-dressed people who were sitting there. They were seated in a single row around a long counter, and the place looked somewhat like an abandoned bar.

In spite of the fact that they were not prestigious enough to enter the Golden Arches, they still looked down at her with snobby disdain. As she walked past them, she could hear some snickers from the thickly made-up women (who were obviously just pretentious social climbers) and some snooty, not so subtle comments from the few self-important men there.

She was tempted to tell them off, but she remembered that she ought not to sink to their level. She had nothing to prove to them. But there was still the problem of finding somewhere to sit, away from the proud fools. She glanced around and saw that at the end of the row, some few seats away from the rest, and close to the shadows, sat a quiet young man.

As she made her way towards him, she heard more snickers and someone whispering something like, "all the riffraff should stick together." At this, Katara was more determined to join the solitary figure who surely heard all those unkind words but remained silent.

He made no reaction when she sat beside him. The young man was dressed in simple Earth Kingdom garb, and none of the finery that the other guests of the restaurant sported. The shadows obscured half of his face and he was leaning on his left elbow, his hand covering his face further.

But for all the simplicity of his attire, Katara saw that he carried himself with the grave dignity that befitted nobility. He certainly seemed nobler than all the pretentious people scoffing at him.

And there was something strangely familiar about him that made her feel comfortable around him.

For a few minutes, they sat there in silence, ignoring all the spiteful comments from the people around them. Katara wished that Toph would finish her business faster so that they could enjoy the rest of the evening. The waterbender glanced at her companion, who was as quiet and still as ever, determined evidently, to ignore her as well.

But she was not discouraged. He was probably just shy and modest, and after the ill treatment received from the other people there, she could understand why he would not be inclined to talk to her.

"Have you been waiting here long?" she asked politely.

He seemed surprised at being addressed and then merely nodded in reply. Katara was not discouraged.

"I'm sure they'll get to us soon," she said, more to herself than him.

Again he said nothing.

"Have you lived in Ba Sing Se for long?" she asked.

He shook his head, still not looking at her.

"I'm new here too," she said, "it's so different from where I come from, and yet, I'm not quite sure it's better. Just different."

She waited for him to ask her where she was from but he said nothing and maintained his position facing the wall, and not looking at her. Katara was beginning to feel that he did not want to talk at all, but she shrugged that off as silly.

She began to talk to him about various mundane things like the culture shock she got in Ba Sing Se, the vastness of the city, and all the other facets of it which she found particularly interesting. Her companion continued to sit in silence, and she was not sure if he was listening, but decided that she didn't really mind so much as long as he didn't tell her to be quiet. But she really hoped to get some response out of him, to provoke him to interrupt her at one point.

For his part, Zuko listened to the girl patiently, restraining himself from blurting out something rude or just leaving her there. He had seen how she had been rebuffed by the other idiots in that room and since he had received the same treatment, he somehow sympathized with her.

But he wondered at how she could continue trying to strike a conversation with him when he had never given her any encouragement to do so. She seemed determined to make friends with him, and continued to try and engage him into a topic. He couldn't understand such a relentless interest.

First, there was that strange girl who kept coming to tea house. (He was glad that he and Iroh had gone to this fancy restaurant otherwise he would have been forced to go out with her.) And now, this girl.

Zuko was baffled. What was it about him that invited such attention from girls?

But there was something different about this girl beside him, he concluded. She was just trying to be friendly, and he was not being much help. But then again, Zuko did not have the talent of conversing easily with people he had never met before.

And yet, there was something familiar about her, somehow, and he tried to get a better look at her, without seeming too interested. Under all that make-up and Earth Kingdom finery was someone he knew, though he was not yet sure. He decided to pay more attention.

At length, Katara began to feel silly, talking incessantly to a silent companion. She wanted to get angry with him for being so indifferent but she knew she had no right to do so. With a sigh, she gave up her campaign, and wished harder than ever for Toph to arrive. What could be taking that girl so long?

"Sorry for bothering you," she said modestly, "I think I got a little carried away. I'll leave you alone now."

Out of curiosity and out of a sense of pity for the girl, Zuko decided to speak to her, but without turning to face her fully. He was certain that the reason she had been so friendly to him so far was because she had not yet seen his scar. He would keep it that way for as long as he could.

"It's okay," he said, in a tone of gentleness that neither of them had expected, "I don't mind."

"Really?" she said, a little more eagerly than she had wanted to sound, "don't worry, I'll be out of here in a while. I'm just waiting for my friend."

"Me, too," he replied, "but he's taking longer than expected."

"Same here," she said, with more confidence now, "you don't have a reservation too?"

"No, just some invitations my uncle got from someone," he explained, "we're not from around here anyway."

He was too proud to reveal that he was but a tea-server in the Lower Ring. Luckily, she didn't ask him about it.

"You don't seem to be," she said, and then clarified quickly, "I mean, you're not as snobby as the rest of the people here. I can't believe how badly they treat those who are below them in rank and class."

"That's the way things are anywhere you go," he said rather cynically, "those who hold power and position treat the rest like dirt."

"That's unfair," she protested passionately.

"I've only noticed that now because I used to be in a higher position," he said gravely, "but I don't think anything can change this order."

"I don't believe that," Katara said, "the world's a better place than this, I've seen it many times."

"Tell that to the thousands of refugees living on scraps at the Lower Ring," he said, surprised at his own audacity, "everyone thinks that the war is all the Fire Nation's fault but as much as they have been responsible for all this suffering, there are so many other people to blame too."

Katara was surprised at how eloquent he had suddenly become and was both glad that he was finally responding and saddened by his dark outlook. And the more he spoke, the more familiar he seemed. Where had she heard that voice before?

"So you're allowed to talk about the war?" she asked suddenly.

"What are you talking about?" he asked incredulously.

"It's just that, whenever we tried to talk to anyone about the war here, we were always stopped," she explained.

"They can hardly persuade a refugee that there is no war," he said, "but then again, we're from the Lower Ring. They won't bother with us."

There was a danger of venturing once more into the topic of social inequality and injustice, and neither of them wanted to go there. So they were silent for a few moments, each trying to remember where one had heard the other before.

"This night certainly isn't turning out as I expected," Katara said after a pause.

"I'll say," was all the other said in reply, "so much for an evening full of fun and entertainment."

"Are you always this serious?" she asked him, in a lighter tone. 

"Yes," he replied, "life hasn't been fun for me. And I've done a lot of things that I'm not proud of."

"That may be true," she said, "but that doesn't mean you have to be so down and depressed all the time. Besides, life isn't all pain and suffering, we also have opportunities to be happy. And however dark the situation may be, when you have hope, you can survive anything."

"Hope?" he asked, giving her a side ward glance and making sure to keep his face covered.

"That's right," she encouraged him, daring to put a hand on his shoulder, "whatever mistakes you've made in the past, you can make up for, I'm sure of it. I believe people deserve second chances."

She was smiling earnestly at him and she sincerely believed everything she had just said. And though he was not one prone to such happy thoughts, he found her sincerity slowly convincing him.

Then, he recognized her. Those eyes, those piercing blue eyes, and that gentle voice, and that steadfast determination to think the best of everyone. He knew her.

But she had not yet recognized him, and for that he was grateful. Perhaps it was the poor lighting in the waiting area or the fact that he was dressed up like a regular citizen of the Earth Kingdom. And it was the gentleness and uncertainty in his voice, that she had never heard before.

She didn't recognize him, and that was why she could say all those kind words to him. But what if she knew the truth? He did not even want to consider it.

He turned away immediately, trying to think of what to do. But something inside him said that the truth was a painful but necessary path to take. He was tired of hiding and longed for people to see who he really was, even in such a strange situation.

"You wouldn't be saying that," he muttered gravely, "if you knew who I was."

"What are you saying?" she asked in puzzlement.

But before he could turn to reveal himself, their friends arrived at last.

"There you are!" Toph said excitedly.

"Toph!" Katara cried, "what took you so long?"

"Sorry about that," Toph was explaining, "I was helping my old friend Mushi here get in because that obnoxious waiter wouldn't honor his invitation. The seal of the Bei Fong family really does wonders here."

And it was then that Katara noticed the large man standing beside her friend. Iroh smiled at her warmly and the waterbender stared at him in shock.

"I believe you are already acquainted with me and my nephew," Iroh told the waterbender.

Katara whirled around to see her companion step out of the darkness and reveal himself to her.

But it was not the proud, angry Zuko that she had always known. He looked at her apologetically and it was something that threw her off balance. She silently berated herself for not noticing him sooner.

Why had her instincts not alerted her to the danger? A voice inside her said that maybe because he was no longer a threat, but she refused to listen to this reason.

"You!" she cried out looking from uncle to nephew and back, and looking around for some water to bend. But then again, she didn't want to start a fight inside such a public place.

Toph sensed a very interesting story behind all this, based on the mixed emotions and violent reactions from the people around her. But to keep the rest of the people from hearing their conversation, the earthbender quickly erected a dome of earth around the four of them. Iroh and Zuko provided the light with small flames in their hands.

"Toph, let's go," Katara said sternly, "we can't stay here. Not with them."

"Now, Katara, don't make a scene," Toph told her friend calmly, "you don't know what I had to do to get us that table in a private room. We can all talk there."

"Toph!" the waterbender cried in exasperation, "you don't know who these men are!"

Now, Zuko and Iroh were standing together awkwardly and Katara still had her eyes on them both.

"Actually, I do," the earthbender replied calmly, "Iroh told me everything. And if he had been lying, I would have known."

"This is a trick," Katara argued, "they've chased us all the way here and they're going to try and capture Aang."

"We aren't chasing the Avatar anymore," Zuko tried to explain.

"We came to Ba Sing Se to start a new life," Iroh added.

But none of this convinced the enraged waterbender.

"It's the truth, Katara," Toph said sternly.

Katara was torn and confused. She knew that Toph could tell if they were lying, and yet after all that had happened, how could she believe them?

"They can't be trusted," the waterbender muttered, though she did not sound as sure anymore.

"I trust them, Katara, and I know you do too, you just don't want to admit it," the earthbender told her friend.

Katara frowned and had no retort to this.

"Come on, Katara," Toph convinced her friend further, "we saw you two talking when we came in. You were getting along fine with him for almost half an hour."

"I didn't know it was him!" Katara protested, but now realizing how hypocritical she sounded.

Toph folded her arms disapprovingly. Iroh was about to say something when Zuko approached the confused waterbender.

"You said before that people deserved second chances," he told her solemnly, "did you really mean that?"

Katara's eyes widened as she heard her words echoed in his voice and she suddenly felt ashamed of herself. She looked up at him slowly and saw humility and sincerity where she had once only seen anger and arrogance.

He was begging her for a second chance, and who was she to refuse? Her instincts had been right all along.

She nodded sincerely.

"Yes," she answered softly, "yes, I did."

And the relief and gratitude that shone on his face made her blush slightly.

Before anything else could be said, loud grumbling noises resounded in their small dome.

Iroh looked at his belly in embarrassment while Toph rubbed her stomach as well.

"Okay, enough of this," the earthbender said, taking charge of the situation, "drama later, dining NOW."

This time, there were no more objections and the four of them proceeded to the private function room which was reserved for very important (rich) people. When the food arrived, Iroh and Toph decided that it was well worth the wait.

Everyone felt that the evening had soared beyond all expectations. And in observing her companions, Toph was certain that life was about to get a lot more interesting.


End file.
